William John Wood
Real Name: William John Wood Aliases: Maxwell "Max" Carson Wanted For: Kidnapping, sexual assault, battery, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Missing Since: March 1991 Case Details: In 1972, William John Wood resigned from the Toledo, Ohio police while he was being investigated for misconduct. Between 1977 and 1985, he committed and served jail time for a number of offenses, including check fraud, impersonating an officer, and assault with intent to rape. In 1986, he moved to Las Vegas, where he invented his 'Maxwell "Max" Carson' persona and used his image as a movie producer to manipulate actresses and models into doing what he wanted. In November 1989, Carson began holding auditions for a film. One model in particular, designated "Tiffany" by Unsolved Mysteries, caught his eye. However, no real work was done on the movie as Maxwell was secretly on the verge of collapse. By January 1990, Maxwell shut down his offices but maintained the appearance that he was still in control. In February, Maxwell arranged for "Tiffany" to meet him at a motel later that day under the guise of being a replacement model for a photo shoot. After the two met up, "Tiffany" began feeling uncomfortable when she noticed no other people around besides Maxwell. In the motel, Max trapped "Tiffany" in the room and began to get violent and abusive. Despite Max threatening to accuse her of prostitution, "Tiffany" contacted the police and had Max charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, and battery. Max disappeared before an arrest could be made. Two months later, Max resurfaced in Cocoa Beach, Florida, having once again arranged to meet a woman at a hotel. He managed to convince her to have sex with him in exchange for money. However, before he could get to a private room with her, he was arrested; the woman was wearing a wire as part of a sting operation. Max plead guilty to solicitation of prostitution and spent two days in jail before disappearing. Only after his release did Florida police find out about his true identity and past crimes. William John Wood was last seen in Reno, Nevada in March 1991, trying to run another scam on a model he met in Las Vegas. When she told him she knew about his past, he disappeared. Authorities believe he could be operating anywhere in the country, though he seems to prefer Las Vegas, Florida, and southern California. They believe it's likely that he's still impersonating a film producer or talent agent. Extra Notes: This segment aired on the January 15, 1992 episode. Results: Captured. In January 1998, William John Wood was captured after an Unsolved Mysteries viewer contacted the FBI and told them his whereabouts. William was arrested under the assumed name "Brian O'Leary" in San Francisco. He was also charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was convicted of attempted sexual assault and coercion and sentenced to twenty-six years in prison. His last parole hearing was on December 3, 2012. The Nevada Department of Corrections has marked his file as "discharged/released." 'Links: ' * TV Show Aids in Arrest Of Fugitive Ex-Cop ---- Category:Florida Category:Nevada Category:1990 Category:1991 Category:Rape Category:Captured